The fourth night after the Parity Clause had been passed, every tax document had been proofed and the notices were prepared accordingly. Unexpectedly, a few families came out of the record room clean, including my own, although this group was far from the majority. The secure rolls of parchment were bundled and placed into messenger bags according to the area of distribution. They were to be delivered by the Royal Guard the very next morning. Our team of twelve was on standby; each had their own personal messenger to surreptitiously relay messages directly to the castle. Adele, however, won't need one. She received strict warning to not leave the castle until matters have settled down. Instead, she planned to invite her friends over for tea and gossip, as usual. The idea of gathering intelligence in a furtive manner excited her, although to me it seemed like she didn't realize it was an activity she participated in daily.

All that was left to do was wait.

And that's what we were doing. I was curled up in a large armchair, relying on the warm light from the fireplace to guide my eyes across the pages of the philosophy book I had been meaning to study. Ash, however, was a bit more restless as he paced back and forth.

I looked up from my reading; "I'm surprised you still have enough energy for that, considering how little you've slept these past few nights."

He came and sat in the chair across from me. I knew that expression; he was about to vent his feelings. And I was prepared to listen.

"I... I'm just worried about the outcome of tomorrow. I know we've taken all the proper precautions, but I don't want this to fail."

I placed my hand over his, "We started this with nothing but good intentions, and with good intention comes good reward. This will work, just have faith in people and they'll come through."

"I hope so."

I smiled, "You know what I was thinking?"

"What?"

"Books. The children need access to knowledge. How many of them stop a formal education after learning basic literary skills, simply so they can start manual labor alongside their parents?"

"We do have very few public archives, even those have limited access and nothing suitable for children."

"Exactly. We can set up public libraries, ones that contain pages for everyone, but specifically the children, as they're the ones who will have the time to read for pleasure. They're also our future."

He smiled, "That we will do. I can have a few plans drawn up within the next week, and the project can start as soon as the funds start flowing in. But... there's something else we need plans for."

"What?"

"You said children are our future, so when in our future will we have children?" He teased as a smile tugged at the ends of his lips.

I averted my gaze, "I-isn't it too early to plan for that?"

There was that smirk again, "It's never too early to plan."

He keeps forgetting that two can play this game. I put the book down and got up from my seat.

"Next you're going to say it's never too early to practice." I countered as I slipped into bed.

He followed in suit, "Well, is it?"

I rolled my eyes before throwing a pillow at him, "Sleep, Ash. You need it now more than ever."

He laughed but listened nonetheless. I snuggled closer to him so that my head was on his shoulder. I listened, as his breathing steadied to a rhythm. He was finally getting some much-needed rest. The waning moon peeked in from the window and lent a few of its rays to our bedchambers. The light from the hearth became dimmer as the fire extinguished in its own ashes.

I couldn't fall asleep. It felt like the calm before a storm.

However, I there was never a time that I was more grateful for the secure walls of the castle. As cold and distant as they may appear, their exclusivity from the rest of society, which I had always loathed, suddenly provided me with comfort. Regardless of what happened out there, here we would be fine.

I was being selfish, but I had found something, or rather someone, to make me want this personal security more than anything.

And most of all, it pained me to accept this realization.

At some point, I had fallen asleep because the formerly cold, moonlit room welcomed me with warm sunrays. Ash was still sound asleep next to me. I propped myself up with an elbow and admired his sharp profile. Hypothetically, if we did have children, regardless of whether we had a boy or a girl, if they shared his features, then they'd be beautiful. The unconscious smile I had on my face suddenly contorted, as I fully comprehended what I just thought about.

"You don't need to steal glances of your own husband." He muttered groggily as he turned to face me.

My eyes widened in embarrassment as my elbow gave way. I landed face flat onto the pillow, causing him to roar with laughter.

He wrapped his arm around me and cuddled closer as he closed his eyes again, perhaps with the intent to get a few more minutes of sleep.

"I love you." He murmured, before dozing off again.

"I, too." I mouthed, nearly inaudibly.

One of these days, I'll be able to tell him.